341 Tillinghast, x2460
Email:
askoble@bridgew.edu Web:
http://webhost.bridgew.edu/askoble
Office hours: M 10-11, TR 11-12,
or by appointment
Texts:
1. The Ontology and Function of Money, Leonidas Zelmanovitz (Lexington Books), at bookstore
2. The Mystery of Capital, Hernando De Soto (Basic Books), at bookstore
2. Other readings to
distributed in class or on the web
Overview and objectives:
This course will explore questions
of social philosophy pertaining to money.
Central questions include: What is
money? Where does it come from? What is its function? How should we understand its value in
relation to other values? How are money,
wealth, and value related? Does money
have to be based on metal? Does money
stifle individuality and promote alienation, or does it foster individuality
and promote equality? What are the
implications of inequality of wealth?
What role does government play in these matters? What is “capitalism,” and how does its
conception of money differ from that of, say, socialism? We will work through most of Zelmanovitz’s book
The Ontology and Function of Money
and De Soto’s book The Mystery of Capital, in addition to
readings from Carl Menger, Georg Knapp, Georg Simmel,
Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, J. M. Keynes, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, and
possibly others.
Requirements:
1. Weekly journal responses -
30%
2. Active participation in
class discussion – 10%
3. Two short papers - @30%
each = 60%
“Active participation”
implies that regular attendance is itself also a requirement of the class. This is a reflection of the fact that the
primary vehicle for learning the material is the class itself, of which you
should see yourself as a part. Obviously
there is such a thing as a good reason to miss class, but please be sure you
limit your absences to such occasions.
Absences in excess of three will result in reduction of your grade. Excessive lateness will count as
absence. You are expected to have done
the readings and be prepared to comment on them in class. If you do have to miss class, it is your
responsibility to get the notes, and any announcements or additional
assignments, from a classmate. (On the
other hand, if I am late, it almost certainly means I am ill – call the
department office at x1258 to find out.)
Adjustments to your grade will be made for both constructive
participation in discussions and disruptive behavior, as well a
General Outline (subject
to revision):
Sept 6 – intro to topic
Sept 11-13 – Origin and
essence of money 1: division of labor, kosmos/taxis,
Aristotle, money/wealth/value. The “dual
incidence of wants” problem.
Sept 18-20 - origins/essence
2: metallism and fiat money; inflation; Chartalist vs Catallactic theories.
Sept 25-27 – money and value
continued-Menger, Simmel, Mises
Oct 2-4 –money and
teleology-Simmel
Oct 9-11 – money and
epistemology
Oct 16 - money and ethics 1
Oct 18 – Guest Lecture 1: Dr.
Sean Mulholland (class meets in DMF120)
Oct 23-25 – money and ethics
2: inequality; alienation - Marx
Oct 30-Nov 1- money and
individuality -Simmel
Nov 6-8 – Cryptocurrency-
what is it? Is it money? Is it good money? Is it good?
Nov 13-15 – no class T or R;
11/16 is optional cryptocurrency seminar (see below)
Nov 20– wealth and value revisited- Smith; Horwitz on Rand (11/22=Thanksgiving)
Nov 27 – Guest Lecture 2: Dr.
David Skarbek (class meets in DMF120)
Nov 29 – Inequality and state
policy regarding money – De Soto
Dec 4-6 – State policy and
markets in political economy continued- De Soto
Dec 11 – Money in different
models of political economy (Keynes/Hayek debate)
Please see me for
registration details for the Nov 16 cryptocurrency seminar.